The rise of 'everyday freedoms' in China - Al Jazeera English

The freedoms to move, to shop, to eat, to choose one's field of study, and in general to live one's life as one sees fit are all coming to be ingrained in Chinese popular culture.

 

To realise how momentous this transition is, think back 40 years to 1970s China. Within that living memory, people had to live where the government said, eat whatever food was served in their work unit canteen and study political slogans above all else.

 

All of those forms of party-state social control are now gone for good. The Communist Party of China may still pull all the levers of economic and political power, but in the social sphere most Chinese people are freer now than their ancestors had ever been.

http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2016/05/rise-everyday-freedoms-china-160530105056898.html